Phytochemical analysis and antifungi activity of aloe vera leaves

The medicinal and other claimed uses of Aloe vera, the “wonder plant”, are endless. The extract for phytochemical analysis was collected in three different solvents, diethyl ether, ethanol and distilled water. The anti-fungal activities of the leaf extract were investigated on selected fungi organisms; Trycophytum rubrum , Penicillum notatum , Trycophytum vericophytum , Trycophytum soundanense , Claudosporium and Trycophytum mentagrophytis collected from Mycology Laboratory, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, Nigeria. The plant extract was collected crude without solvent and agar-well diffusion method employed for the determination of antifungal activities on the test organisms using 200 mg ketoconazole drug as standard. The phytochemical constituents of aloe vera leaf include alkaloids, flavonoids, saponin, phenol, glycosides and tannins. Both undiluted and half diluted crude extract showed different zones of inhibition on the test organisms. The undiluted crude extract of Aloe vera had larger zone of inhibition on Trycophytum rubrum and Trycophytum mentagrophytis than the diluted crude extract while the diluted crude extract showed larger zone of inhibition on Trycophytum vericopytum than the undiluted crude extract. Keywords: Aloe vera, Phytochemicals, Constituents, Antifungal properties